ABOUT THE VISIT

Come join us for a day! Our original project site and tree nursery are tucked away in a quiet, beautiful valley with the Pai River running through it. CNF invites anyone who would like to learn more about tropical forests, ecological restoration, sustainable tourism, and Asian elephant conservation – and we believe the best way of learning is doing! From seed to tree, prepare to get your hands dirty doing the good work. 

Please remember: This is an active project site, and there is a season for everything. During the dry, cool “winter” between November and January we are gathering seeds from the forest and propagating them in our nursery. As the temperature builds between February and May we are preparing new sites for planting. When the monsoon rains arrive, we plant our trees in the right place at the right time! This means that no matter when you visit, you will experience an essential part of the process. Like the Pai river – fast and strong during the monsoons, slow and lazy during the dry season – each time is important for different reasons.

Our tours run between 13:30 and 17:00 daily. While every day is different, the outline of the tour looks something like this:

We begin by picking up visitors from outside Ped’s Pai Pizza by the Rim Pai Market (Wednesday Market) in Pai town at 13:00. Transportation is included at no additional cost. You can also follow the truck with your motorbike, or meet us at the land (17km south of Pai) around 13:30. It’s an adventurous road – take your time and enjoy the beautiful mountain views!

When you arrive at the project site, we will provide refreshments and spend a few minutes explaining our work and context – what we do and why we do it. This includes a brief history on forest and wildlife conservation in Thailand and the ecology of forest restoration – a forest is so much more than just the trees! Education is perhaps the most important part of this experience, and this introduction is meant to foster questions and robust discussion for the rest of the tour.

Toward the end of the day, we gather everyone and head over to our on-site demonstration forest. Here we explain our methodology and ask everyone first to add a seed to our nursery and then to plant a seedling in the forest. This is the most important part of the day – it provides a way for tourists to give back to the environment and simultaneously enrich our demonstration forest. After the tree planting, we will answer any final questions and drive everyone back to the Rim Pai Market in Pai around 17:00.

IMPORTANT NOTE: There is an adult female elephant named Kamee who is free to roam the land and do as she pleases. She was relocated to our site in 2017 after many years of hard work and she is now retired. You will likely see her feeding or bathing in the river during your visit, but we ask that you kindly give her space. She is not here to entertain guests, we will not compel her to join us, and interactions will be kept to minimum for her safety and well-being as well as ours.

 

PRICE

We ask for a minimum 1000 baht per person for the day. CNF is a non-profit foundation and your donation directly supports tree-planting and improving local livelihoods all over Pai District. Please note that the minimum donation is non-negotiable, but it is one-time only: You can return as many times as you want during your stay in Pai for no extra charge! 

WHAT WE HAVE FOR YOU

 We have drinking water on-site free of charge. In addition, we have several delicious food options available for purchase throughout the day, prepared-to-order by our (extremely) talented staff using fresh ingredients we get from the market daily! We try to accommodate any dietary restrictions or preferences. There are also several options for cold beverages.

WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING

  • Comfortable, rugged clothes 
  • Good shoes and sandals/flip-flops – you might need to cross the river!
  • Sunscreen 
  • Sunglasses 
  • Rain jacket 
  • Camera 
  • An open mind 
  • A willingness to learn
  • During the warm, dry months don’t forget your swimsuit!

MEETING POINT & TRANSPORTATION

Travellers will meet at our pick up point outside Ped’s Pai Pizza by the Rim Pai Market (Wednesday Market) at 13:00, and head towards our project site (17kms from Pai town). Transportation will be provided at no additional cost. Alternatively, you can follow our truck on your motorbike, or directly reach the land at 13:30. The truck heads back to town around 17:00.

RSVP

To RSVP, please book online at least 24 hours prior to your visit. For same day bookings, please book online and send us a message on Facebook or email us at info@conservenaturalforests.org to confirm. If you have any other questions or require further clarification regarding our visitor policy – don’t hesitate to message us!

Eco-conscious Local Conservation

“Conserve Natural Forest is a local conservation NGO that allows you to give back to nature by letting you plant seeds to grow the forest even further. Not only do they care for the plants, but the future for the animals in Thailand. Most importantly conservation is the basis for every project done here and therefore this is a must tourist stop for all types of groups.”

Emily H – February 2020

Great Experience

“It was such a good experience to see this beautiful place and to learn about reforestation and wildlife conservation! During the tour you can even help to plant trees to offset your carbon footprint a little bit. In my opinion a great way to give something back to nature and to the country when traveling as a tourist.”

Marlene – January 2020

Excellent Support, Brilliant Innovation, Wonderful Leader

“We were completely “wow”ed by the service and efficient running of the project, we were also incredibly grateful to receive so much support and communication from management during our fundraising and marketing of the initiative. This organisation is the best solution for companies trying to become more eco-conscious and would recommend getting in touch with them as soon as you can to join the movement of eco-conscious companies fighting climate change.”

Courtney – December 2019

Fantastic Experience and Project

“Learned so much about forestry, agriculture and sustainability from great staff who loved answering weird questions and showing me all their hard work! They made the tour feel really informal and natural and it’s such a nice place to spend an afternoon. A really worthy cause!”

Sarah D – September 2019

Highlight of My Trip

“Visiting Conserve Natural Forests was one of the best trips I’ve experienced so far in Thailand, out of five years of frequent visits to the country, and is a must-do for anyone hoping to find out more about the region’s ecology while contributing to a worthwhile cause. The CNF team are extremely knowledgeable about both reforestation and wildlife conservation, and it’s clear that the Pai community are proud to host such dedicated NPO in their town.”

James – April 2019

Great Time at CNF!

“The drive in is absolutely scenic as you wind through jungle foliage, pass rice paddies and garlic farms, and make your way toward the Pai River where this organization owns a beautiful plot of land. 

We learned about the reforestation efforts and some of the history of this NGO. The site boasts 30 species of plants in their demonstration forest and walking through it was really an experience in and of itself. You don’t really know what to expect until you’re right in the middle of the thing.”

Mike R – July 2017

 

BOOK AN ECO-TOUR

OUR NETWORK

Want to find out more? Send us a message!

Want to contribute to our cause?

Conserve Natural Forests was built and continues to grow thanks to the generosity of like-minded people who support our work. We would not be where we are today without their help. If you would like to know more about how you can contribute toward restoring Thailand’s beautiful ecosystems and saving endangered species, please consider donating to one of our projects.

Want to contribute to our cause?

Conserve Natural Forests was built and continues to grow thanks to the generosity of like-minded people who support our work. We would not be where we are today without their help. If you would like to know more about how you can contribute toward restoring Thailand’s beautiful ecosystems and saving endangered species, please consider donating to one of our projects.

Want to find out more? Send us a message!

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No feed found.

Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.

Sign up to receive regular updates from cnf

Find us online and follow us on our journey.

Building a sustainable future, one tree at a time.

info@conservenaturalforests.org

Sign up to receive regular updates from cnf

Find us online and follow us on our journey.

Building a sustainable future, one tree at a time.

info@conservenaturalforests.org

Sign up to receive regular updates from cnf

Find us online and follow us on our journey.

Building a sustainable future, one tree at a time.

info@conservenaturalforests.org